Mesa residents press council to revisit Climate Action Plan; one speaker alleges civil-rights harms and questions public-comment handling
November 04, 2025 | Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona
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David Winstanley, who said he lives in the Encore Eastmark neighborhood (District 6), asked the council to "revisit the current Mesa Climate Action Plan for three reasons," arguing in a prepared statement that the plan depends on federal funding that may not materialize and that local actions have negligible global impact compared with emissions from other countries. Winstanley cited public figures and analysts, saying climate change "is real, is measurable, but much smaller than Al Gore claimed" and calling Mesa's plan more of a "feel good plan." He asked the council to spend time and money on projects "that we can actually accomplish."
Florence Shumway used her public-comment time to accuse council members of being "complicit in the rights of your citizens being stripped away," raised concerns about racial profiling and the handling of people in custody, and criticized the council for how it handles public comments and agenda sequencing. "You represent all Mesa citizens jailed and not," Shumway said, and later urged residents to contact council members.
Tim Meyer offered brief remarks in support of a "287(g) plan," telling the council he "strongly support[s] that" measure.
City staff (Ms. Moseley) told the meeting there were additional online comments submitted and that those comments would be posted on the city's website the following day. The council did not take any formal action in response to the public comments during the Nov. 3 meeting.
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